Cleaning Products & Chemistry

What, When, Where, How & Why

Basic Cleaning Chemistry & Products

One Principle of Working Smarter Not Harder

Why Chemistry?

• Safety– Yours

– Others’

– Facility’s

• Productivity – Cost Effective Products

– Labor Efficient Practices

Chemistry?

• Is one of your “Tools of the Trade”– Cleaning Chemicals (Cleaning Products)

• Liquids, Pastes, Powders• Cleaners, Disinfectants, Acids, Polishes, Abrasives, Surface

Treatments and Finishes• Strippers, Descalers and Graffiti Removers

Cleaning Is Chemistry !

How Products Work

• Cleaning agents– Cleaning agents are those products that act on surfaces to

remove soils.

• Professional custodians learn to identify products by type rather than brand name or product name– Q – “What do you use to clean restrooms?”– A – “That red stuff, it’s called Brite-n-Shiny”– Q – “What do you use to clean restrooms?”– A – “A disinfectant cleaner for daily cleaning and an acid cleaner

periodically to remove mineral deposits.”

• Being able to identify cleaning agents by type will enable you to quickly choose the right product for the situation – regardless of the product name

Types of Cleaning Agents

• Water– Considered ‘hard’ or ‘soft’ depending upon the quality and quantity of

metallic salts in solution,

• Hard if tested over 400 ppm.

• Water alone may remove some soils, but it cannot penetrate and wet the surface under grease and oil.

Natural Soaps

• Mixtures of naturally occurring ingredients– Alkalis, plus animal or vegetable fats and oils

• Caustic soda, lime or lye,

– Add cleaning power to water

• Allows the water to penetrate the soil, wetting the surface

– Natural soaps in hard water leave a film

• Salts in the water react with the oils in the natural soap

• Rinsing is often required to prevent re-soiling

Detergents

• Detergents emulsify dirt but are made from chemicals, and not from fats and lye

• Detergents contain water softening agents and other chemicals that allow soil to be removed efficiently and without leaving residues that require rinsing

• Neutral cleaners, Spray & Wipe cleaners, etc.• Detergents chemically ‘soften’ water allowing it to clean

faster, usually without rinsing

Solvent Cleaners• All cleaners contain some type of solvent

– Water is a solvent

• Effective on soils containing no grease or oil

– Kerosene, pine oil, benzene, methyl chloride, alcohol, etc.

• Can damage skin, lungs etc. They’re dangerous to use

• Solvent cleaners present special dangers

Acid Cleaners

• Used to clean mineral deposits and/or rust stains left by hard water

• Select by the type of acid and its strength– Hydrochloric acid bowl cleaners will damage chrome and other metal

surfaces no matter their strength– Sulfuric acid products used as drain openers, are very dangerous and

should only be used by someone who has been trained – Phosphoric acid bowl cleaners - 8 to 20% will not damage chrome or

stainless steel surfaces. Products as strong as 33% are used as descalers for commercial dishwashers, coffee urns, etc.

• Acid cleaners always require Personal Protective Equipment

• Read labels and MSDS to avoid injury.

Disinfecting Methods

• Sunlight or Fresh Air (ozone)• Extreme heat or cold• Electrical sterilization• Chemical agents

Disinfectants

• Germicides:– Disinfectants– Sporicides– Sanitizers

• Disinfecting- is the process of controlling and eliminating bacteria except for spores

• Sporicides- control and eliminate bacteria, including spores

• Sanitizing- is the reduction of bacteria which is usually associated with the food industry– Wiping a surface with clean water and a clean cloth is sanitizing

The Evolution Of Chemical Disinfectants

• Sulfur: 800 BC• Chlorine/Hyrpochlorites: Late 18th Century• Iodine/Iodophors: 1839• Alcohol: 1890• Phenolics: 1903• Quaternary: 1935

Label Requirements For Germicides

• Use Dilution – 1 oz.. per gal., 1/2 oz. per gal., 6 oz. per gal., etc.

• Directions for Usage– Method of application, surfaces on which it can be used, etc.

• Precautions– OSHA right-to-know, corrosive, skin/eye irritant, etc.

• EPA Registration– Federal and Establishment number

• List of Active Ingredients– Inert materials, active ingredients, germicides used

• UL Classification– Electrical conductivity and slip resistance

Three Important Points of Disinfectants

• 1. Do not mix products– Noxious gases can form

• 2. Do not create A “bath tub” remedy!– If not dangerous, it can render ingredients useless

• 3. Overuse can be as detrimental as under using a disinfectant!– Doesn’t kill any more germs and leaves residues that resoil faster.

Disinfectant / Cleaners

• Housekeeping departments– Quat disinfectant + cleaners (ph neutral cleaner)

• 95%+ kill rate of listed organisms on contact

• 100% kill rate after 10 minutes wet contact time

– Germs reproduce quickly

» 2 make 4, 4 make 8, 8 make 16, 16 make 32, 32 make 64, 64 make 128, etc.

» From 1 to 64 billion in 12 hours

Abrasive Cleaners

• Clean primarily by abrasion. Some also contain detergent components – Silica (fine sand), volcanic pumice jeweler’s rouge

– Found as lotions, pastes and powders.

• Abrasive cleaners can quickly scratch and permanently damage surfaces.

Cleaning Abrasives

• Pumice sticks, floor pads, hand pads, screens, sandpaper or emery cloth and scrubbing brushes

• Cloths, fingernails, scrapers, etc.

• Always use the finest first rule – for abrasive cleaners and cleaning abrasives

Enzymatic Cleaners• Use active bacteria (good germs) to kill (eat) pathogenic

bacteria (bad germs)• Also digest organic proteins (germ food)• Require time to work

– Product contains spores (seeds/eggs)• Need time to “hatch” and grow• Time to work

• Require correct conditions– Temperature, humidity, light, air

• Disinfectants disable enzymatic cleaners– Including disinfectant residues – rinse first

Specialty Cleaners

• Cleaners formulated for a specific soil– Carpet de-browners

– Rust removers

– Carpet sanitizers

– Adhesive removers

– Paint / graffiti removers

– Etc.

Soil Removal

What Are We Trying To Remove?

What is Dirt?

• In the same sense that a ‘weed’ is a plant growing where it is not wanted, ‘Dirt’ is a substance out of place

• Asphalt and oil are to be found naturally in a parking lot, but when tracked in on the carpeting…

• Dirt, Soil, Muck, Stuff, ‘Something’, Spot, Crud, Gunk… Call it all ‘Soil’

Types Of Soil

• Two types of soil: – Loose, dry, crusty soil– Oily, sticky soil

• Each type comes from different sources and requires different products and processes to be used in its removal

Loose Dry Soil

• Dust, tracked in dirt or dried mud, sand, etc. • Usually removed through direct mechanical action

– Swept, dust mopped, wiped, or vacuumed– Water added to loose dry soil creates “mud”

• Resembles and acts like oily sticky soil, requiring more time and effort to clean

• Work dry soils with dry processes

Crusty Soil

• Mineral deposits– Use acid cleaners to dissolve and remove mineral deposits

• Allow 15 minutes dwell time, agitate, and rinse

• Heavy deposits may require more than one application

Oily Sticky Soil

• Any surface that has not been cleaned in as little as twelve hours will have dust on it

• Dust on a surface, over time, begins to resemble oily, sticky soil– Combines with other substances such as moisture and body oils from people

touching surfaces, through their breathing, and by just their occupying of space in the building

• Dry soils become oily and sticky over time.

Oily Sticky Soil

• Grease and oils make the soil stick to a surface. The longer dirt remains on a surface, the more it tends to bond with that surface and the harder it is to remove– May be tracked in from parking lots

– May come from people touching surfaces or just from breathing

Oily Sticky Soil• Greases and oils on building surfaces come from:

– Body oils – hands, clothing, from respiration

– Oils used in food preparation and serving

– Oils in toiletries, cosmetics, petroleum products (vehicle fluids) tracked in

– Exhaust fumes floating in through doorways, windows, fresh air intakes, etc.

Oily Sticky Soil• Black marks on floors come from soft-soled shoes, heels, and

shoe polish, tires, wheels and furniture glides– The heat of friction and pressure from chair glides causes residual dust mop

treatments, dry soils, moisture and floor finishes to react and transform into into a thick, dark deposit that can be difficult to remove without requiring repairs to the finish

• Removal of oily, sticky soils requires some type of cleaning agent, time and effort and may remove finishes beneath them

Soil Removal

How Do We Get Rid of Soils?

Detergency Processes

• The chemical processes by which cleaning agents remove soil from surfaces

• Involves a combination of chemical actions, including wetting action, emulsifying action, dispersing action and adsorption action

• Knowing how products react with soils and surfaces allows you to select a product that fits the situation and perform your tasks efficiently without damaging the buildings in your care

Wetting Action

• Wetting action “makes water wetter” by reducing its surface tension

Emulsifying Action

• Emulsification keeps oil and dirt separate; and the oil in suspension

Dispersing Action

• Dispersion keeps dirt particles from re-clumping and re-depositing

Adsorption Action

• Adsorption causes dirt to cling to cleaning agents until it can be wiped away

Basic Methods of Cleaning

• Direct Mechanical Action– Cleanser and a green pad, scraper, etc.

• 90% of a Maintenance & Operations budget is labor

• Direct Mechanical Action is 100% labor – scraping off soils

• “Elbow Grease” (Direct Mechanical Action) is your most expensive “cleaning product”

Basic Methods of Cleaning

• Chemical Action– Soils are electro-chemically bonded to the surface. We must break that

bond to remove the soils

– Cleaning “happens” at Neutral (pH = 7)

Cleaning with Chemistry

• pH and the pH scale– “pH” refers to the ratio of positively and negatively charged hydrogen

ions in a substance

pH Scale

70 14

Hyd

roch

lori

c A

cid

10 million times stronger than water

Des

cale

r

Rus

t Rem

over

Vin

egar

Bor

ic A

cid

6.5 - 7.5

Neutral

Pure Water

Neu

tral

Cle

aner

Win

dow

Cle

aner

Ext

ract

ion

Cle

aner

Han

d S

oap

Spr

ay &

Wip

e C

lean

ers

Deg

reas

ers

Flo

or S

trip

pers

Cau

stic

Sod

a (L

ye)

10 million times stronger than water

Increasing Acidity Increasing Alkalinity

610x

510x

410x

310x

2 110x

10x 810x

910x

1010x

1110x

1210x

1310x

10x

CS

PC

rem

e C

lean

Dis

infe

ctan

t Cle

aner

s

Oily, Sticky – Organic Soils Dry, Loose – Mineral Soils

10x

Nut

ra-R

inse

Cleaning With Chemistry

1. Identify the relative pH of the soil

2. Apply a product with the opposite pH– This brings the pH of the soil closer to Neutral

• Ever hear of the word “Neutralize”? This is where it comes from– When the pH of the soil gets close to Neutral, you can wipe it off

• Allow the product some time for the chemistry to work

T.A.C.T. Principle

• In order for products to work, they need:– Time to work; dwell time, time to penetrate and loosen soils– Agitation to mix the soil and solution, put it in solution so it may be

removed– Concentration; it must be at the correct dilution; too much wastes

product, leaves streaks and residues which attract soil so the surface gets dirty faster and you have to clean more frequently; too little will require more effort (labor / time)

– Temperature – most products are formulated for use in cold water – using hot water may cause streaking or cause the product to rise into the air with the steam rather than be applied to the surface where it is needed.

Cleaning With Chemistry

• Use Acidic Products on Alkaline Soils; Use Alkaline Products on Acidic Soils

• Remember: Relatively Acidic or Relatively Alkaline • So: Acid on mineral deposits & Alkaline Cleaners (Spray

& Wipe Cleaners) on food spills

pH Balance

• A soil’s pH unbalances the scale• Applying a product with the opposite pH neutralizes

the pH of the soil and brings the pH of the surface back into balance

• Using cleaners with the same relative pH as the soil is not the most efficient way to clean – it relies on direct mechanical action – “labor” / “elbow grease” is the most expensive cleaning product you can use.

How “Strong” Is That Product?

• Remember, each step away from 7 on the pH scale is 10 times stronger than the one before.

• The “Strength” of a product refers to how far away it’s pH is from Neutral – the farther away from Neutral, the Stronger the product

Cleaning With Chemistry• Neutral Cleaners have a pH between 6.5 and 7.5

– Neutral Cleaners can be used on both acidic and alkaline soils to good effect

– Neutral Floor Cleaners have the added benefit of not damaging floor seals and finishes

• Disinfectant Cleaners are typically Germicides (kill germs) blended with Neutral Cleaners, and can be used on acidic or alkaline soils where killing germs is desired

CITYWIDE RECOMENDS

• We advise to use a peroxide cleaner such as SUPROX as the primary cleaning agent in your buildings

• Peroxide cleaners can be used on most all surfaces including glass

• It is relatively inexpensive, easy to use and highly effective

• SUPROX is Green Seal Certified• Great on floors and lightens grout with continued use• Most buildings could be cleaned with SUPROX and a

disinfectant…nothing else!!• Available from Hillyard

Types Of Cleaners

• Neutral Cleaners• Alkaline Cleaners• Acid Cleaners• Disinfectant Cleaners • Abrasive Cleaners & Cleaning Abrasives• Enzymatic Cleaners• Specialty Cleaners

Types Of Soils

• Oily, Sticky Soil• Dry, Loose Soil (Mineral Deposits)• Microorganisms (Germs)• Dyes or Pigments

– Depending on the surface and the type of colorant, dye stains can be permanent.

Building Surfaces

• Our job is to preserve building surfaces, not to damage them

• All building surfaces may be damaged

– Chemically– Physically

• Any building surface may be damaged by using the wrong chemical.

• Floor finishes • Wood• Painted surfaces• Fabrics • Even hard surfaces can be

scratched and grout can be dissolved

Hand Tools• By Level of Aggressiveness –

Low to High– Lamb’s Wool Duster– Soft Brooms & Brushes– Cleaning Cloths & Wipers– Natural Fiber, Nylon Brushes– Hand & Floor Pads – The Lighter

The Color, The Softer The Pad (More or Less)

– Grit Brushes – Wire Brushes– Scrapers

• Any building surface may be damaged by using the wrong hand tool.

Cleaning Equipment

• Floor machines– Using pads or brushes

• Burnishers• Autoscrubbers• Extractors• Vacuums• All-Surface Cleaners

• Any piece of equipment, used incorrectly or with the wrong pad or brush, can damage building surfaces

Cleaning With Chemistry

• In an ideal world there would be a product that, when sprayed on a soil, would cause the soil to “magically” disappear.

Cleaning With Chemistry

• In the real world...• Soil happens…• Grab your favorite cleaner

– Maybe it works. If it doesn’t work, try something else… usually something stronger.

• Best case: the soil is removed, and only time is lost. • Worst case: the soil is spread, a stain is set, or the surface is

damaged.

Cleaning Smartly

• Estimate the composition of the soil– pH of soil

• Consider the surface• Choose your product• Choose your tool - use the finest first rule• Choose your method• Try to clean the soil

– Change levels of aggressiveness step-by-step– Do no harm

Review

• Product Types– Neutral Cleaners

– Alkaline Cleaners

– Acid Cleaners

– Disinfectant Cleaners

– Abrasive Cleaners & Cleaning Abrasives

– Enzymatic Cleaners

– Specialty Cleaners

Quiz1. pH refers to the relative or

of a substance.2. (T/F) when in doubt, use a neutral cleaner.3. Marble would be harmed by an or

cleaner.4. When in doubt, use the – rule, and Do No

Harm.5. (T/F) Surface Tension makes water wetter.

Quiz6. (T/F) When faced with an unknown soil, use the “spray & wipe”

cleaner.7. (T/F) Adsorption Action makes “spray & wipe” cleaners work

quickly.8. (T/F) Quat Disinfectants kill 100% of listed organisms on contact.9. T.A.C.T. stands for , ,

, and .10. Generally speaking, choose a product with the

pH of the soil.

Quiz11. Emulsification keeps and separate, and the

in suspension until they can be removed.12. The two general soil types discussed were

soil and soil.13. Besides the above soil types we must also determine the presence

of and (other “soil types”) when selecting cleaning products.

14. Abrasive cleaners and cleaning abrasives clean mainly through action.

15. (T/F) Specialty cleaners may be used on soils and stains other than those listed.

Answers

1. pH refers to the relative acidity or alkalinity of a substance.

2. (T) when in doubt, use a neutral cleaner.

3. Marble would be harmed by an acid or abrasive cleaner.

4. When in doubt, use the finest-first rule, and Do No Harm.

5. (T) Surface Tension makes water wetter.

Answers

6. (F) When faced with an unknown soil, use the “spray & wipe” cleaner.

7. (T) Wetting, Dispersion, Emulsification, and Adsorption Actions are what makes “spray & wipe” cleaners work quickly.

8. (F) Quat Disinfectants kill 100% of listed organisms on contact.

9. T.A.C.T. stands for Time, Agitation, Concentration, and Temperature.

10. Generally speaking, choose a product with the opposite pH of the soil.

Quiz11.Emulsification keeps oil and dirt separate, and the oil in suspension

until they can be removed.12.The two general soil types discussed were oily, sticky soil and loose,

dry soil.13.Besides the above soil types we must also determine the presence of

microorganisms and dyes or pigments (other “soil types”) when selecting cleaning products.

14.Abrasive cleaners and cleaning abrasives clean mainly through mechanical or physical action.

15. (F) Specialty cleaners may be used on soils and stains other than those listed. ALL products should be used for their intended purpose. Specialty products may have unusual ingredients that could damage other surfaces.

Cleaning Products

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